Government Terms

Government TermsGovernment Terms

Autocracy: One PersonAutocracy: One Person◦Citizens have little control over the

government ◦Power is in the hands of one person

Government Forms: 1.Dictatorship

Examples: Germany’s Hitler, U.S.S.R.’s Stalin, Czar Nicholas II in Russia

2.Absolute Monarchy – one king in power with complete controlExamples: France’s King Louis XVI, Spain’s King Ferdinand

Autocracies of the WorldAutocracies of the World

Oligarchy: A Small GroupOligarchy: A Small GroupOnly a few people in a small group of

royalty, wealth, family, or military influence make political decisions for the country’s people.

Government Forms:Communism – a small group controls all

the economic resources and government

Examples: former Soviet Union, Cuba, China

Democracy: The CitizensDemocracy: The CitizensThe citizens have a say in their

government by voting in elections.

Most democracies today are republics, where the people elect leaders to represent them in the government.

Most countries in the world are democracies.

Democratic GovernmentsDemocratic GovernmentsThere are two predominate forms

of democratic governments◦Parliamentary◦Presidential

Both are designed to represent and protect the rights of the people

Presidential DemocracyPresidential Democracy◦Citizens usually vote for members of

the executive AND legislative branch Citizens directly vote for the leader

◦A single person is elected as the leader

◦The president is both head of government (chief executive) and head of state

Examples: U.S.A., Russia, Mexico

Parliamentary DemocracyParliamentary Democracy◦Citizens vote for members of the

legislative branch, and then the legislature chooses the leader

◦Head of government and head of state are TWO different people

Examples: United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia

Parliamentary System

Presidential System

Executive Legislature

CitizensCitizens

Legislature

Executive

Elec

tEl

ect

Elec

tEl

ect

Sele

ctSe

lect

ElectElect

Why Do We Have Why Do We Have Governments?Governments?

All countries require governments to function.

Governments provide laws, structure, public services, and national defense.

There are different types of governments:◦democracies◦republics◦monarchies◦dictatorships

How Is Power Shared?How Is Power Shared?

FederalConfederationUnitary

Federal GovernmentFederal Government Federal– Power is shared by a

powerful central government and the state or local governments.

States or provinces are given considerable self rule, usually through their own legislatures.

Examples: › United States› Russian Federation› Germany

Federal Governments of Federal Governments of the Worldthe World(All countries in green)(All countries in green)

Unitary GovernmentUnitary Government

Unitary – a system in which the power is held by one central authority

All power is given to the one branch of government.

Examples:› France› United Kingdom (U.K.)› Sweden› Spain› Former Soviet Union

Launch Internet Explorer Browser.lnk

Unitary Governments of Unitary Governments of the Worldthe World(All countries in blue)(All countries in blue)

ConfederationConfederation

• Confederation - a system in which power is shared by an alliance or union of political organizations

• Independent states voluntarily work together for some common purpose and agree to certain limits on their freedom of action as a confederation.

• Examples:- European Union- Switzerland